Check Me Out: The Black Book of Colors

"Thomas says that yellow tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick’s feathers,” starts this elegant and beautiful children's book from Venezuela.

On the left, white text on black pages is accompanied by braille, and on the opposite page, images traced in raised ink, black on black, beg to be touched, traced, and carressed, especially with the eyes closed.

Not only does this book teach a sense of what it might be like to be without sight, but also about Thomas, who teaches us that colors aren't just seen, but also heard, felt, tasted and touched.

The Black Book of Colors, by Menena Cottin, author, Rosana Faria, illustrator, and Elisa Amado, translator, was named a New York Times Book Review choice as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008.

It is available on the shelf at DeMotte and Rensselaer, and can be sent to any location by request. It is filed with the juvenile non-fiction books under the Dewey code j535.6 - which is the study of colors.